Edited by Robert J. Wenke, Richard W. Redding, and Anthony J. Cagle
This volume presents the findings of three seasons of excavation in the 1980s at Kom el-Hisn, "the mound of the fortress," in the northwest Nile Delta. This provincial community was often in the orbit of Memphis, the capital and administrative center of Egypt's Old Kingdom period. Small areas of occupations of the First Intermediate and early Middle Kingdom periods were also excavated. One of the goals of the excavations was to complement and compare the substantial ancient textual record of this era with Kom el-Hisn's archaeological record because such evidence is sparse for Lower Egypt between about 2500 and 1800 BC. The findings presented here reveal the complexity of small Old Kingdom settlements in the context of the Memphite state organization and shed light on the changing relationships of this administrative center with its provincial communities. Kom el-Hisn's faunal, floral, lithic, and architectural remains are presented and discussed in detail, as are some theoretical and methodological issues relevant to this research.
Kom El-Hisn (ca. 2500–1900 BC): An Ancient Settlement in the Nile Delta
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xxii + 478 pages
8.5 x 11 inches
ISBN 978-1-937040-53-6 (hardcover)
September 2016
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Figures
List of Tables
Abbreviations
1 Methods and Objectives of the Kom el-Hisn Archaeological Project Robert J. Wenke
2 Site Geomorphology and Regional Fluvial Reconstruction and History Paul E. Buck
3 Stratigraphic Analysis Anthony J. Cagle
4 Inscribed Seals and Sealings Karla Kroeper
5 The Vertebrate Fauna from the Excavations at Kom el-Hisn, Giza, and Other Sites Richard W. Redding
6 Kom el-Hisn's Plant Remains Wilma Wetterstrom and Robert J. Wenke
7 Introduction to the Analysis of the Kom el-Hisn Ceramics Robert J. Wenke
8 A Selection of Ceramic Types Found at Kom el-Hisn Karla Kroeper
9 Notes on the Kom el-Hisn Ceramics Anna Wodzinska
10 Analyses of Dimensional Variations in Meidum Bowls from Kom el-Hisn and Other Sites Sarah L. Sterling
11 Chipped and Ground Stone Assemblages from Kom el-Hisn Michal Kobusiewicz
12 Human Burials at Kom el-Hisn: Chronology and Context Anthony J. Cagle
13 Summary and Conclusions Robert J. Wenke
Appendix 1. Floral Remains from the 1988 Season. Identifications by C. D'Andrea
Appendix 2. Measurements Taken on Individual Sherds Discussed in Chapter 11, Identified by Location and Dynastic Attribution; Site and Dynasty
Appendix 3. Drawings of Representative Ceramics Arranged by Vessel Form
Bibliography
Index